


Keeping Up With The Alteans

by trollfishprince



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura is a precious and fierce child, Assassination Attempt(s), Babysitting, Coran has two dads because why not, Coran is the best nanny, Fluff and Humor, I don't want to give away a lot just yet, Light Angst, Military Backstory, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Canon, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, dads being dads, planned coup d'etat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-07
Updated: 2016-08-22
Packaged: 2018-07-29 20:44:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7698790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trollfishprince/pseuds/trollfishprince
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(TEMPORARY HIATUS, CHAPTER 3 IS 50% FINISHED.)</p><p>After the queen passed away, King Alfor has been left to not only run an empire, but also the difficult task of raising a princess all by himself. Unfortunately, his daughter has chased away every nanny in the capital city, making sure that no one can babysit her. In a last ditch attempt to find the perfect caregiver, Alfor asks his advisers to bring in the best nannies from across the Altean empire, and one of those nannies just so happens to be a certain recently graduated military cadet named Coran.</p><p>With assassins stalking the king and the threat of a coup d’état in the air, will Coran be able to please the young princess, as well as keep any possible feelings for his majesty a secret?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Most Dangerous Mission

Being a reliable father as well as the king was a lot harder than it sounded. Alfor sighed, rubbing his forehead as the familiar pain of a headache was setting in. Not only was Alfor the king of the Alteans, he was also a widower. His wife had passed away shortly after his only daughter, Allura, had been born, leaving him the sole burden of being a great leader and parent. His subjects had been trying to get him to re-marry for a few years, but all of his would-be suitors always had some sort of ulterior motive for wanting to help him lead the kingdom.

 

And here he was, in the throne room, consulting with two of his advisors, while his tiny daughter napped on his lap.

 

Corwin, who had been his father’s advisor before he was his own, spoke up. He was tall and thin, his pointed ears drooping slightly. His clothes fit loosely and his greying red beard was cut short. “What we’re saying, Your Majesty, is that…”

 

Jass, the more head strong of his advisors, who wasn’t much older than he was, cut in. “We think she needs a regular nanny, sir.”

 

“You know how she acts around most of the nannies,” Alfor reminded them. “Having a nanny around her nearly full-time… Any sane one would quit within an hour.”

 

Though Allura was small, she was notorious for being a little monster around the nannies. She had gone through most of the capital city’s nannies during her terrible twos and even though her toddler days were now behind her, she was still quite the handful. The only time she seemed to behave was when she was near Alfor, which made ruling over all of Altea even more difficult than it already was.

 

“We can hire the best nanny in the kingdom. We’ll search for one,” Jass proposed. “Payment wouldn’t be an issue; someone must be willing to look after her.”

 

“Someone with determination and a lot of energy,” Alfor mentioned.

 

“Not to mention experience,” the skinny advisor interjected.

 

“And someone we can trust to look out for the princess,” the younger advisor said.

 

There was a collective hum as they all tried to think of someone. Allura had unfortunately cycled through the best nannies already, most of them refusing to visit the castle unless under strict orders from Alfor himself. Even then, there was probably one or two who would rather flee the planet than go back to the castle.

 

“We need someone who will want the job for a while as well,” Corwin added. “If we can get them to sign a contract, they can’t quit until the contract is concluded. That way we won’t have to worry about getting another nanny for a while.”

 

“That’s a great idea,” the younger advisor chirped.

 

Alfor shook his head. “I won’t allow it.”

 

“Sire…” Jass whined.

 

Corwin stroked his greying beard in thought. “Come to think of it, there might be someone.”

 

Alfor’s attention turned to the skinny advisor, “Really?”

 

“My cousin and her brother’s families both had seven children at around the same time. Her brother had an eighth that was older than all of them and babysat all of them before signing up for the military academy a few years ago,” he told them. “As far as I know, they’re no longer in the academy.”

 

“Military experience and trustworthiness…” Alfor muttered, thinking for a moment. “So they’d be able to protect her, as well. Let’s summon them. I’d like to meet this person.”

 

“As you wish, my liege.” The skinny advisor bowed before leaving the throne room.

 

“Would you like me to locate additional candidates as well, my king?” the younger advisor inquired.

 

“Yes, that would be wise,” Alfor replied, looking down at Allura as she slept. “I just wish her mother were here.”

 

“We all do, my king.” The advisor bowed, leaving the king and the princess.

 

 **~★** ★★ **★** ★★ **~**

 

The young, redheaded cadet watched the twin blue suns rise in the sky after he had finished recording a holo-message to his seven brothers and sisters, as well as his fathers and grandfather. He had been stationed on the Telura military base for a few years, which was the only base on the fourth planet in the Altean solar system. Altea was clearly visible in the sky during both the day and the night, so even though he was away from home, he could always see it.

 

A gentle breeze blew across the tall, dark green grass, making a few of the spore-like flowers separate into the wind. It was nothing like the beauty of Altea, but it had become the closest thing to home for him. Although he hadn’t gotten onto a better military base straight out of the academy, he was glad that he was still close to home. Besides, if there was trouble on Altea, it was a safe bet that they would be sent out to help with the fight.

 

He watched as the Lieutenant exited her cabin with a strong yawn. Her nearly black hair was cut shorter than his and standing up in practically every direction. Her green eyes met his blue eyes before she spoke, only somewhat commanding. “Oh, what the quiz—what are you doing up this early, cadet?”

 

“Oh, just watching the suns rise ma’am.” He smiled at her pleasantly. The lieutenant had served under one of his father’s back in the day, so they had known each other for some time and were on good terms.

 

“Coran, get some sleep. You don’t have to be up for another 1,300 ticks.” She rubbed her eyes, yawning again.

 

“I’m fine, ma’am,” the cadet gave her a thumbs up. “I’ve already been up for 1,000 ticks, had to record a holo-message for the family back on homeworld.”

 

“There’s a shipment coming in today from Altea,” the Lieutenant informed him. “Would you be able to meet up with them when they dock? Command told me there’s a royal summons in this shipment and I want you to deal with the less important supplies while I sign off on the summons.”

 

“Will do, Lieutenant!” Coran saluted eagerly before practically marching to the mess hall, which wouldn’t be open for another 500 ticks, but he didn’t mind waiting.

 

Once it did open Coran indulged in a healthy breakfast of delicious green goop before attending to his usual routine on the base. He finished his chores early in his excitement and decided to meet up with the lieutenant as she was meeting with some newer cadets. There were three instead of the usual two that would come to the base every year, which meant that someone was probably being transferred to another base. She finished instructing them before ordering them onto the obstacle course.

 

“Lieutenant!” Coran greeted her with a salute. “Those were the new recruits?”

 

“Yeah, turns out the royal summons is a big deal. One of us is getting transferred to Altea,” she replied.

 

“I bet its Corporal Taren. She’s been one of the hardest working soldiers on the base since I got here,” Coran said. He was proud of his comrades and was happy for whoever got the summons, not feeling an ounce of ill will toward any of them.

 

“It could be one of the privates,” the lieutenant remarked. “Maybe you’ll get to go home early.” She punched his arm playfully with a cheeky grin.

 

Coran laughed, “My brothers and sisters would certainly be happy to have me back.”

 

“I mean, it’s a royal summons,” the Lieutenant said. “That probably means it’s a secret mission. Probably something covert and dangerous.”

 

“Well, whoever gets it is lucky,” Coran replied. He enjoyed his time on the base for sure, but there was a part of him that longed for the excitement he was promised when he joined the military. The Alteans were a peaceful race however, so any dangerous missions were few and far between.

 

“Don’t count yourself out of the running yet, cadet,” the Lieutenant said with a sweet smile. “Come on, let’s get going. The shipment is scheduled within the next thousand ticks.”

 

“Yes ma’am!”

 

The pair made their way to the landing zone via a small cruiser. The landing zone was a little less than a kilometer away from the main base and was equipped with a space elevator, which could take them into low orbit. Most large ships would dock in low orbit at the space elevator, since it was far more convenient than actually landing on Telura, especially during the stormy season.

 

The cadet and the lieutenant ascended the space elevator, watching as the base faded into the rest of the landscape before hitting the cloud line. The purplish sky slowly faded to black as they made their way through the atmosphere. Their uniforms deployed their space helmets, covering their heads, giving the Alteans a steady stream of oxygen. Once the pair reached the beginning of the exosphere, the elevator began to gradually slow, until they reached an elevation of 1500 kilometers above the Teluran surface.

 

The ship was just docking as the elevator doors opened, allowing them to meet up with the crew of the ship. After an exchange of salutes, Coran began dealing with the heavier crates, which thanks to the zero gravity, were easy to carry to the elevator. Meanwhile, the Lieutenant talked with the Captain in hushed tones about the summons before she gave it her seal of approval. They continued to chat a bit more as Coran finished with the final crate, so he waited patiently at the elevator before she motioned over to him.

 

“Cadet, come over here for a moment.” Her face was neutral and professional, but it was evident that something was on her mind.

 

“Yes ma’am!” Coran kicked off of the ground and slowly floated over to her, grabbing onto a railing as he reached the Captain and Lieutenant.

 

The Lieutenant motioned over to the Captain, “This is Captain Kelrin.”

 

Coran saluted, “It’s nice to meet you, Captain Kelrin.”

 

“Are you aware of the summons, cadet?” Kelrin asked, his voice was about as scratchy as his beard appeared to be.

 

“The Lieutenant informed me that there was a royal summons in this shipment, sir.” Coran replied.

 

“Did she inform you that the summons was for you, cadet?” Captain Kelrin smiled.

 

“What? Really?” Coran was so shocked that he forgot his military training for a moment, “Sir!”

 

Captain Kelrin laughed with the Lieutenant before speaking again. “That’s right, cadet. You’ve been summoned to the royal castle in the capital. You’ll be leaving today.”

 

“Yes, sir!” _Today? That seems pretty sudden—it must be a serious mission!_ Coran could barely contain his excitement.

 

“We’ll be docked here for another three hours before we have to leave,” Captain Kelrin informed both the Lieutenant and Coran. “That’ll give you enough time to pack your personal belongs and say any necessary goodbyes.”

 

“Thank you, sir!” Coran saluted again.

 

The Captain chuckled, “At ease, cadet.”

 

The Lieutenant and Coran took the supplies down to the surface before she dismissed Coran, allowing him to pack his things, which were mostly pictures of his family and his personal journals. He made sure to visit all of his close comrades, giving them warm goodbyes, including Corporal Taren, who jokingly remarked, “You’re not as much of a screw up as I thought! Good job, kid. Make us proud.”

 

Coran made sure to save his goodbye to the Lieutenant for last, since she would be seeing him off. His military issue bag was pretty full, but not stuffed to the brim. He smiled as he met up with her, heading back to the space elevator once again.

 

The goodbye was short and sweet, a simple salute to each other as they parted ways. As the ship left the dock, Coran watched as Telura faded into the distance, slowly becoming seemingly as distant as the stars.

 

That night, Coran dreamed of a parade, welcoming him home as he finished his daring mission. He felt bigger, marching with a large laser cannon strapped to his back, accompanied by the cheers of thousands of people and the jingling of the metals on his uniform. He’d follow in the footsteps of his grandfather and fathers, aiding the royal family and bringing glory to his house once again.


	2. Your Assignment, Should You Chose to Accept It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up being huge :O  
> Sorry for the wait! Major thanks for the comments and kudos <3

“A royal summons? Coran, that’s wonderful!” Coran’s father, Pascal, beamed over the holo-call. Pascal was a relatively short Altean with curly red locks that matched Coran’s in color. He was paler than both Coran and his other father, and the little markings on his cheeks were pastel yellow.

 

“That’s my boy,” Coran’s other father, Corrick replied. Corrick was much taller than Pascal and was a bit tanner than Coran. He didn’t resemble Coran very much aside from the matching turquoise markings and similar bone structure.

 

“You probably could tell that I’m already on my way there,” Coran turned the hologram so that they could see the room better. “It’s not the fanciest ship, but she is a beauty.”

 

Pascal chuckled at his son’s youthful enthusiasm, “You haven’t seen the Castle since your grandfather took you, have you?”

 

Coran shook his head, “Not since it was still being built, no.”

 

“It’s quite the sight,” Corrick replied. “I can only imagine the look on your face when you see it.”

 

A warning message came up on Coran’s holo, signaling that the spaceship was about to prepare for docking at the Capital City Orbital Space Port. He closed the message and smiled to his hologram fathers, “We’re about to dock. I’ll call you again tomorrow.”

 

“Make us proud, Coran,” Corrick instructed with a kind smile.

 

“We love you, son,” Pascal said.

 

“Goodbye.” Coran ended the call with a smile, already feeling a new wave of excitement and anticipation. _What sort of mission will it be? How long will I be gone?_ Most of all, he knew he was going to personally meet the King, an honor which wasn’t common on Altea. Coran knew that this was his chance to follow his family’s footsteps, as a humble servant of the royal family.

 

 **~★** ★★ **★** ★★ **~**

 

The Princess leaned against her white balcony, her hands resting on the railing as she peered up at the blue sky, watching as spaceships flew across it, some like shooting stars, while others would slowly disappear as they docked at the Orbital Space Port. Her current morning nanny, a brunette Altean named Thayla stepped onto the balcony, speaking to the Princess in a demeaning, high pitched tone.

 

“Oh, what’re you looking at, Princess?” she asked, “Are you looking at the shooting stars? Aren’t they _so_ pretty?”

 

“They’re ships,” Allura replied seriously. “One of them just came from one of the other planets in the system. I could tell because it didn’t have to use a wormhole.”

 

“Right,” Thayla awkwardly laughed. Thayla was good at heart and unlike many of the other nannies she didn’t have some ulterior motive. Unfortunately, Thayla treated Allura like she was a toddler, which the young Princess would _not_ stand for. “We should get you dressed Princess. It’s almost time for breakfast.”

 

“Is Dad going to be there?” Allura asked, not taking her eyes off the sky.

 

“I promise he is,” Thayla replied sickeningly cheerful.

 

“Thayla, don’t make promises you can’t keep.” Allura turned to her before going back into her room. Her father only managed to be around for breakfast once every two weeks. It was hard on Allura, because the only time she ever got to see her father was after dealing with multiple nannies for hours on end. All she wanted was quality time with her dad, or at least a nanny who wouldn’t talk down to her. She called out to Thayla, “Dress me.”

 

She heard Thayla sigh from the balcony, “Yes, Princess.”

 

Thayla helped dress Allura in a long white gown that had a deep pink V down the back of the skirt that started from the shoulders. The three-quarter length sleeves ended with a thin pink lace of the same color and were soft to the touch. Allura quite liked this dress, however as soon as Thayla finished putting it on her, she spoke up. “I want to wear my blue dress.”

 

Thayla winced, “But we just finished putting on this one. You’ll be late…”

 

“Thayla,” Allura’s young voice was stern. “I am the Crown Princess of Altea. You _will_ obey my every whim.” She knew she had power over her nannies, mainly by societal status alone. Unfortunately, most of the nannies only saw her as a whiny, simple-minded child, and not a respectable, intelligent Princess.

 

“Princess…” Thayla practically whined.

 

“That’s an order, Thayla,” Allura commanded.

 

With a heavy sigh, Thayla helped Allura change into the new dress, which had short translucent sleeves and a series of pink ribbons that wrapped around the bodice and waistline. The ends of the ribbons trailed down to the end of the skirt, acting as a short train. Allura didn’t like this dress as much as the white gown, but she had insisted on it. _I had to challenge her,_ Allura assured herself _. She has to learn how to respect me._

 

 **~★** ★★ **★** ★★ **~**

 

Coran was pressed up against the window of the space elevator, partially on purpose but also because of how crowded it was. He could hear a young Altean coo in excitement a few feet away as the Capital City became visible from below the cloud line. “Look, Mom! You can see the whole city from up here!”

 

Coran’s face pressed against the glass, his eyes wide as he took in the scenery below him.  

 

The castle was directly in the middle of the city, a tall, white beacon of glory for the majestic city surrounding it. Surrounding the Castle and acting as a barrier between the Castle and the rest of the city was a field of grass and pink flowers, then a ring of trees with pink leaves. The city had been around long before the Castle, making various patterns of colors through each ring. At different times of day, the colors of the buildings would change, making different patterns.

 

Coran hadn’t been to the Capital City in many years, not since his grandfather had been building the Castle for the King. King Alfor was much younger at the time and was constantly surrounded by advisors or busy with Coran’s grandfather, so Coran only actually saw the handsome young King once. He remembered it well, blushing with embarrassment at the memory alone.

 

Coran still had quite some time before he could enter the military academy and had been well into his teenage years. He was carrying supplies for his grandfather and saw King Alfor pass by him and was so dumbstruck that he smacked straight into a support beam. It was one of the most embarrassing moments of Coran’s life. The worst part was that no one else noticed it _except_ for the King!

 

 _“Are you alright?”_ He remembered King Alfor asking.

 

 _“I’m fine!”_ Coran could still hear his own voice cracking as he scrambled onto his feet, nearly tripping again. _“Perfectly fine! Definitely did that on purpose, your Majesty!”_

 

If Coran could go back in time, he would make sure to tell his younger self to keep his eyes forward rather than ogling the King.

 

The elevator finally reached the surface, the doors slowly opening. People got off the elevator in an organized and efficient fashion, some meeting up with family members. The child and mother from before meeting with an elderly couple and exchanged hugs. Coran got off, his bag strapped to his waist and saw someone holding up a hologram with his name on it. He approached the Altean, making eye contact.

 

“Cadet Coran?” The Altean was dressed in some sort of white uniform with the Royal Crest over her left breast. She was quite obviously working for the King.

 

“Yes?” Coran replied.

 

“Please come with me,” she smiled, gesturing towards a small cruiser. “I’ll escort you to the Palace.”

 

 _A Palace escort? Wow._ The gesture boosted Coran’s ego quite a bit, making him smile proudly. “Lead the way, madam.”

 

The trip to the Palace was over in practically a tick: whoever his escort was, she knew how to efficiently and rather quickly, fly a cruiser. She gave him instruction on where to go, “You’ll meet King Alfor and the others in the Throne Room.”

 

“Others? There are other cadets?” Coran asked.

 

She looked a bit confused, “The others aren’t cadets.”

 

Coran blinked, _Wait, am I the lowest ranked military officer? Or am I the only military personnel going on this mission?_ He smiled, trying to ignore his own thoughts, “Thank you, ma’am.”

 

“You’re welcome, Cadet,” she replied with a simple nod.

 

Coran exited the cruiser, stepping onto the castle grounds for the first time since it’s completion. He took a deep breath of the clean, fresh air, enjoying the familiar scent of the flowers. As the wind blew gently passed him and through his ginger hair, he gazed up at the magnificent architecture, silently praising his grandfather’s skills and eye for practicality and design. The walk through the courtyard was exquisite; small animals flitted around, drinking the nectar from the flowers. In fact, Coran even saw two yellmores playing around in the courtyard garden.

 

He was greeted once again by guards at the Castle gates, but they already appeared to know exactly who he was, as they simply nodded at him and opened the gate for him. As Coran passed through the gate one of them spoke to him. “Advisor Corwin will be waiting for you inside.”

 

Corwin was Coran’s first cousin once removed, being the son of Coran’s great-aunt. Corwin was a bit older than Corrick, and honestly looked much more like Pascal, especially because of his red hair. Coran was almost certain that if he tried to grow a beard that it would be just as magnificent as Corwin’s beard.

 

Coran made his way up the white castle steps, looking up at the Castle as he did so. This was it: destiny had called and he was here. The grand entrance opened up to Coran automatically, allowing him to enter the Castle. Without delay, as soon as Coran entered the castle, he was greeted with a strong hug from Corwin.

 

“Cousin, I have missed you!” Corwin declared happily, giving Coran a strong pat on the back as he let go.

 

“How long has it been?” Coran asked. “Either way, I’m glad to see you. Wasn’t sure I would see a familiar face for a while.”

 

“I was the one who recommended you to come you know,” Corwin informed him, giving him a gentle punch in the arm. “I knew that no one else would be up for the job.”

 

“Really?” Coran was quite flattered.

 

“Of course!” Corwin laughed. “I’ve never seen anyone with skills like yours. Now, this way. The rest of them are all here.” Corwin began leading Coran to the throne room.

 

“Who else was picked, if I may ask?” Coran asked curiously, following Corwin closely.

 

“The best of the best, of course!” Corwin replied, “Well… the best we were still able to get, anyway.”

 

“What do you mean?” Coran asked.

 

“Many of those from the Capital City didn’t want to come back to the Castle after previous jobs,” Corwin informed him. “I can’t say I blame them. King Alfor was very understanding.”

 

“Is the mission really that dangerous?” Coran questioned, finally starting to feel nervous about the situation.

 

“I suppose you could say so,” Corwin laughed heartily. He stopped in front of a white and blue door, the intricate design resembling that of the traditional robes that the Altean kings would wear during important events. “Here we are.”

 

“This is it,” Coran told himself.

 

“I’ll meet you back here once the King speaks with you,” Corwin informed him. “If he wants to speak with you after the meeting, do as he says. I’ll understand.”

 

“Yes, sir,” Coran replied professionally.

 

Corwin patted him on the back, “No need to be official around me, Coran.”

 

“Thanks Corwin.” Coran smiled at Corwin before opening the door and entering the Throne Room. The door closed promptly behind him, making him turn around before shaking his head and facing forward.

 

A blue carpet led to the currently unoccupied throne, which matched the colors of the rest of the castle. Spires extended up from the back of the throne, connecting with the walls like vines, while the intricate carvings and details were visible from even a distance of ten meters. In front of the throne were five small women of various races, two of whom were Altean, and dressed in muted tones. They all stood in a horizontal line so that they were visible and equidistant to the throne. None of them looked back at him as he approached.

 

“Umm, excuse me?” Coran asked quietly. “Are we all here for the special mission?”

 

None of them answered, simply looking ahead at the throne, ignoring him.

 

Coran exhaled, “Alrighty then.” He stood next to the one farthest to the right, completely destroying the symmetry and balance of the group with both his position and his height compared to them. He eyed them all curiously, trying to match their posture, but most of them were standing a little too straight, even by military standards. None of them looked even moderately nervous, all just straight-faced and deadpan. _They must be some serious operatives. Maybe secret assassins from the King? No wonder they’re so relaxed looking._ Coran only wished he could keep as calm as they were, his mind racing around at about a billion kilometers a tick.

 

At that very moment, King Alfor entered the throne room, his blue cape billowing behind him as he made his way to the throne. His white hair was perfectly held back in a low ponytail while his short beard was neatly trimmed. He took a moment as he was walking by to look at all of them, and within that half tick that Alfor made eye contact with him, he felt as if Alfor had looked into his very soul.

 

When he sat on the throne, looking down at Coran and the other five, he practically looked like a god. This was what a king should look like: strong and powerful, yet not too intimidating. He also appeared gentle, giving all of them a light smile. Coran noticed the faint shadows under his majesty’s dazzling eyes, wondering what the weariness was caused from.

 

“I’m sure you are all aware why I’ve gathered you here,” King Alfor began, his voice soft and gentle, reflecting his kind nature.

 

“Yes sir,” one of the women replied.

 

 _Not exactly_ , Coran thought.

 

“My daughter, Princess Allura has managed to chase off every babysitter in the capital. I’ve gathered you all here because you’re the best of the best. You will all be her new babysitters until one of you becomes her primary nanny.”

 

Coran couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing. _I got a royal summons to babysit the Princess? This can’t be happening! This must be a joke. Haha, King Alfor! Though I never quite imagined him to be the jokester type…_ Coran kept a straight face the whole time, nervously glancing between the King and the women, waiting for one of them to start laughing or say, “Haha, good one, your majesty,” but with every half tick that passed it was becoming obvious that maybe he wasn’t joking.

 

“I’m aware that you all come from different backgrounds, but I hope that you may work together to help me raise my daughter,” Alfor looked at all of them pointedly, his eyes lingering on Coran a bit longer than the rest of them.

 

 _Quiznak, he’s not joking._ Coran practically squawked, then tried covering it with a few coughs. “Ah, excuse me, sir.” He didn’t look at any of them while he cleared his throat, but he could tell that all eyes were on him.

 

“It’s alright,” Alfor replied kindly. “You’ll all start tomorrow, each of you will get two hour shifts throughout the day. Your times will be given to you by the advisors who recommended you for this task.”

 

 _It must’ve been cousin Corwin,_ Coran thought. _He must have thought this would be a good practical joke._ Coran wouldn’t accept that this wasn’t a joke. A military cadet babysitting the Princess? That was preposterous.

 

“You’re all dismissed,” King Alfor commanded, nodding at them. “I have no doubt you’ll all be of great service.”

 

The women all bowed while Coran saluted the king. They all made their way out of the Throne Room the same way before the women continued down the hall silently. The Throne Room door closed as Coran exited, Corwin waiting for him with a smile.

 

“How was the King?” Corwin asked with a cheeky grin. He was used to the random outbursts that Coran used to have before joining the military. He was definitely expecting Coran to flip out and throw a bunch of quiznaks around—and Coran would not let him have that satisfaction.

 

“He was quite magnificent,” Coran replied, keeping his confusion hidden. “And I’m honored to have been selected to,” his voice betrayed him as it cracked, “babysit princess Allura.”

 

Corwin couldn’t help but snicker as Coran blushed in embarrassment, “She’s truly a vengeful Princess. You weren’t wrong to assume this was a dangerous mission.”

 

Coran covered his face with his hands, trying to hide how red he was. “Oh quiznak, what have you gotten me into?”

 

 **~★** ★★ **★** ★★ **~**

 

Allura looked up at the stars from her balcony, her hand resting on her chin as she watched the sky. She would be meeting her new nannies tomorrow, which meant she had one night to try and devise a plan to chase all of them out of the palace. She smiled, smelling the sweet scent of lunar flowers.

 

Thayla entered her room cautiously and approached the balcony, announcing her presence with a light knock. “Princess, it’s time for bed.” There was a tired smile on her face, as she prepared for the expected conflict.

 

Allura knew the woman was girding for a prolonged battle. She smiled sweetly in response. “Alright,” she replied, atypically agreeable.

 

Thayla’s smile faltered. “Princess, are you feeling alright?” she asked in concern.

 

“Oh yes. I feel splendid,” Allura replied with a smug smile as she skipped off to bed.


End file.
